Best Kept Secret (PietroxOC)
by awriterincrime
Summary: Most would expect the leader of the world's largest intelligence agency to have secrets. What happens when the one major secret Nick Fury has been hiding comes to light? [ Age Of Ultron Spoilers ]
1. Chapter 1

Warnings : Violence, slight cursing

Rating : PG-13

Word Count : 3175+ ( wow , sorry )

 _I've been reading a lot of Avengers stories lately, and I had some inspiration to write my own. This honestly isn't my best first chapter since I mainly write in first person, and this is written in third person omniscient mostly. Hopefully people will like it!_

"Status update, FRIDAY." Tony barked at his technological assistant, as he scrolled through massive amounts of data and files. It was 3 am on a Friday night. Pepper had gone to bed for the night, but Tony couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts spilling through his mind. An important shipment of extremely valuable bio-tech for Tony's lab was supposed to be coming in that night, and it was late.

"No new updates, Mr. Stark, sir." FRIDAY spoke in a mechanical voice to a sleep deprived Stark. Tony grunted, rocking back and forth in his overly padded office chair, unsatisfied. The bio-tech was extremely important for his and Bruce's latest plans on artificial intelligence. Losing that bio-tech to someone who didn't know how to use it could be, catastrophic to say the least. Paranoid, Tony got to work. He hacked into all the cameras around nearby Manhattan, looking for the shipment. He watched the multiple screens carefully, looking for any sign of his truck. He could tell something strange as going on.

"Mr. Stark, I've found something. The truck of question seems to be in an abandoned hallway on the corner of 8th and Johnson."

"What the hell is it doing there? That's nowhere near here."

"It seems to have been hijacked." FRIDAY pulled in closer on the truck, zooming in on the three men who had managed to knock out two SHIELD agents and were now searching through the truck.

"Send a call out to the local police; I want them down there in the next ten-"

"Sir, someone else seems to be approaching the truck." FRIDAY interrupted. Tony turned his attention back to the screen, and watched a stranger approach the three large men.

The stranger was small, petite really, dressed in a dark violet hoodie and black jeans. Hiding in the dark shadows, the three robbers hadn't even noticed their approach until the newest stranger began to speak.

"FRIDAY, turn on audio." Stark replied, suddenly highly interested.

"Yes, Mr. Stark." A few seconds later, the sound turned on and Tony listened carefully to the conversation between the two.

"Hey!" The stranger shouted roughly. Tony could tell by the voice that it was girl, probably no older than 20. The three strangers looked up and noticed the girl standing in the dark shadows. Tony couldn't make out a face.

"Get out of our way, little girl!" They growled angrily, stepping away from the truck.

"You have something that I want." She replied with a sly smirk, stepping out of the dark shadows.

"I suggest you run on home before someone gets hurt." One man growled, stepping closer.

"Oh, don't worry," She grinned slyly, "I like to play rough."

The four of them stood in a standoff. Three men versus this one girl, who couldn't be any older than 23. The three men began to step closer to her, surrounding her from all sides.

"Should I call local police, sir?" FRIDAY asked.

"Not yet." Tony ordered hesitantly. "I want to see how this plays out."

It was strange. On most occasions, Tony would have called the police the second he saw the altercation, but for some reason, he could tell this girl is different.

After a few more moments of silence, the first man charged at her roughly. He lifted his right fist straight to her face. She ducked quickly under the flying arm, and sent a sharp kick to his right side, probably fracturing a rib or two. The robber stumbled, but faced the stranger again, throwing a sloppy left hook. Blocking the hook with her arm, she sent a sharp punch to his nose, breaking it and a hook kick straight to the side of his head, knocking him out cold.

She turned two the next two with a smile. "Alright, who's next?" She boasted.

The two other robbers shared a look, before pulling out a gun from their side pockets. They took two quick shots straight at the girl, causing her to duck and cover behind a dumpster.

"That was close." She muttered under her breath, breathing heavily from surprise.

"What are you waiting for? Go after her!" One of the men shouted to the other.

"Alright, alright!" The sound of soft footsteps echoed through the alley. The robber pointed his gun out cautiously, waiting for some sort of attack from the girl. The man charged behind the dumpster, and fired three shots, but looked down to the cold ground, and saw she had disappeared.

"What the..." He titled his head, looking farther behind the dumpster, confused. He felt a tap on his back shoulder, turning around quickly to look at her.

"Surprise." She smirked, knocking the gun out of his hands, sending a low jab into his lower stomach, and smashing a glass bottle against his head, knocking him out cold.

"Two down, one to go." She joked, picking up the gun from the mans hands and aiming it at the last man standing.

"I would hate to have to use this, you know?" She sighed, pointing the barrel of his gun directly at his chest, slowly moving toward him.

"Don't move!" His voice broke, hands shaking, sweat dropping from his forehead filled with nerves.

"You know, I was never very good about taking orders from men." The two were now face to face, circling around the alley. An eerie silence filled the backstreet, accompanied by the click of a gun.

Before a shot could go off, the girl leaned backwards, sending a high kick to the gun, kicking it out of his hands, setting it off. The man ducked while she spiked a small pocket knife into his left shoulder. He groaned loudly in pain, holding tightly onto the wound, as he crouched onto the ground in agony. She stood over him, gazing down as he trembled in fear.

"Next time, stay out of my way." She spat, striking him straight in the face with a sharp kick, knocking him out cold. "Less people get hurt that way."

Standing over his unconscious body, she unloaded the two guns. "I hate guns." She muttered, pouring the unused bullets onto the floor. "It's practically cheating."

Tony watched as the fight unfolded in awe. This girl managed to take out three men, twice her size, only using her bare hands and a small pocket knife. Tony scrambled nervously, an idea quickly coming to mind.

"FRIDAY, wake up the twins and tell them to hurry."

"Yes, Mr. Stark." She obeyed, sending a call to the Maximoff Twins.

Ever since the Ultron battle, the twins had been living with Tony in the Avengers tower. It was a definite adjustment with Pietro speeding around the halls at midnight because of a sugar rush, and Wanda using her powers to grab food when she was too lazy to go to the kitchen.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?" Wanda's soft voice yawned, stepping inside with a wide awake Pietro at her side.

"How would you two like to do something for me? Run an errand, perhaps?" Tony asked with a smile. The twins shared a look. Tony wasn't the one usually giving out missions. It was always Fury, Cap, or sometimes Agent Hill.

"Are you sending us on a mission, Mr. Stark?" Pietro asked, suspicious of what Tony had up his sleeve.

"It's Tony. And no, not a mission. Just a little retrieval, you can call it." Tony added before motioning to the monitor. On it stood a girl wearing a purple hoodie, trying to break into the truck.

"See this truck? It contains a very important, highly combustible piece of bio-tech, and this girl has it. I don't know who she is, but I don't care. Consider her armed and dangerous."

Pietro let out a small laugh. "Armed and dangerous? She looks so young."

Wanda rolled her eyes at her ignorant brother. Tony just smirked, imagining what would happen to the cocky Sokovian when he encountered the stranger.

"Young or not, she managed to knock out three guys twice her size, and I don't need someone else getting their hands on the tech." Tony instructed. The twins nodded in agreement.

"We'll go." Wanda's tired voice said in a whisper.

"Why don't you get a head start, Pietro? You can get their much faster than your sister ever could." Tony suggested with a smile. Pietro looked at his sister for confirmation.

She nodded with a slight yawn. "I'll catch up with you in a bit."

"Before you go Maximoff," Tony started. "Try and bring the girl with you if you can. I have some questions."

Pietro nodded, before speeding off into the night of New York.

Pietro raced down the road quickly, nearly flying off the concrete as he looked for the alleyway. Scanning the street signs, he skidded to a stop at the alley, and peered into the darkness. Squinting his eyes tightly, the speedster groaned at his revelation. The truck was gone.

"Damn it." He huffed under his breath coldly, turning on his comm to speak with Tony.

"Did you find it, or her?" Tony asked eagerly. You could practically hear the billionaire jumping out of his seat with excitement.

"No, Mr. Stark, there is nothing here." Pietro answered, looking down at the three unconscious men who seemed to have been tied together by whoever this girl was.

"She probably had-" The loud roar of an engine interrupted him, making Pietro turn. An identical white truck speeded past the alley, burning rubber with this so called "vigilante" riding inside.

"Hey!" Pietro shouted, rushing toward the runaway car.

"Maximoff, what's going on?" Tony shouted loudly in Pietro's ear.

"I think someone else wanted a piece of your treasure. Mr. Stark." Dashing after the van, Pietro jumped on top of the roof. His body crashed into the top paneling, sliding down the front windshield, and shoving the white van back. The van screeched to a stop as it collided with the Quickster.

"Hey!" She scoffed, hopping out of the truck. Her hood still hung over her head, Pietro was still barely able to see her face in the dark shadows. The only thing visible was a small glimmer in her eyes.

"Who are you?" His thick, husky Sokovian accent boomed, striking interest in the girl.

"Hmm, you're a little more dressed up than the others." She commented, giving Pietro a look up and down. "What's with the costume? And that accent, you're not from around here, are you?"

Pietro ignored the questions. "What are you doing with the truck?"

"Not sure. These guys thought something of it." She added, pointing to the knocked-out guys sprawled out around the ground. "Plus I found this." Pulling out one of the test tubes containing the bio-tech from her front pocket. Pietro glanced behind her and saw the rest of the test tube's sitting in the truck."Thought I could make something of it."

"Those, belong to Tony Stark."

"Really?" She narrowed her eyes at him, thinking. "Well, I might just have to hold on t-" Before she finished, a silver blur rushed past her, making her stumble back a bit. The bio-tech was snatched from her hand, and now in the grasp of a cocky Pietro.

Pietro waited for the typical gasp, but to his surprise, she seemed calm.

"So, you're one of those?" She headed towards him slowly. Pietro stood his ground, watching as she studied him.

"Give the tech to me, or I'll have to force from you."His voice fell even deeper, in a threatening manner.

"Alright, you want a fight?" She growled angrily with a fire in her eyes. Slowly, her hands reached behind her, pulling out two seemingly flawless blades, decorated in violet and black ink. The double swords gleamed under the night sky as she pointed one directly at Pietro's chest. "You just got one."

Pietro let out a laugh, before racing toward her, almost knocking her down. She stumbled, sliding on the slick ground, regaining her feet. The speedster laughed as she wiped a small amount of blood from her nose.

"You call this a fight?" He mocked happily, zooming past her again. She set her feet into the hard ground, quickly lashing at him with her left sword, cutting Pietro's arm. He winced in pain, losing his balance, and crashing into the dumpster behind her.

She laughed loudly, seeing his silver hair covered in dirt and grime. "You call yourself a super hero?"

Pietro stumbled onto his knees, gazing up at the vigilance's somewhat evil grin. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Call me Cut-Throat." Her dark brown eyes glimmered softly in the light of her blades. Pietro assumed she had gotten that name from her skills with the double blades. "Now Quicksilver, if you're done shooting the breeze with me, I have some business to settle."

"How do you know my n-" He started but paused when he saw running with her blades behind her. She skidded across the oily ground, jumping off quickly and slicing her blades at the speedster. He zoomed out of her reach, but tripped on the oily ground, crashing his head onto the cold pavement and gazing up at her two swords pointed to his neck.

"So are you going to surrender or w-" She started before letting out a blood-curdling scream. Waves of red energy flew past her head, forcing her down onto the ground, dropping the blades. Pietro gazed up at his younger sister, who seemed to be controlling the assassin with her enhanced powers. Wanda's fingers danced as she controlled the dark magic, her eyes turning bright red. The girl fought back, but Wanda's magic was powerful and forced her onto the ground, in a coma-like state.

"What was that?" Pietro snarled at his sister, picking up Cut-Throat's unconscious body. "I had her."

Wanda shrugged her shoulders at her enraged brother. "You were taking too long." She said with a smile.

"Here she is." Pietro huffed, placing the assassin down onto the medical table, still lying unconscious from Wanda's work. The two had dragged the girl back to Tony's lab with the bio-tech. as he had ordered. Although the twins didn't care much, Stark seemed to be a tad too interested in Manhattans latest vigilante.

Tony nodded, motioning for the twins to move aside. Helen Cho, Tony's assistant, came in and began to assist Tony with the girl's injuries. Helen assessed the wounds in her body. Some were fresh from the recent fight, while others were starting to scar deep into her skin. "Her injuries aren't too bad. She should be waking up anytime soon."

"I'm going to need you to take some samples from this girl." Stark told Helen. "I want all the information I can get on her in the next 10 minutes." Helen nodded, and began to get to work.

[ optional :The twins stayed in the room, silently watching after the sleeping girl. She laid there, practically lifeless. Her chest was slowly rising up and down, as her eyes wavered side to side under her closed eye lids, as if she were having a nightmare. Her face was tight and clenched, in slight fear. One could only wonder what was going on in her head.

"She's pretty." Wanda spoke out. Pietro raised an eyebrow at her, confused. "Well, she is."

Pietro gazed down at the girl, looking at her. Her dark brown curly hair covered the scars and bruises she had on her face from their face. Pietro grinned happily to himself, knowing he had given a few good punches on her. Although, even while asleep she still looked slightly intimidating.]

"So Pietro, were you surprised by our youngster?" Tony questioned, plugging the girl into various IV's and electrodes that were hooked to Tony's mainframe. "She got a few good hits on you tonight."

Pietro folded his arms against his chest, his cheeks slightly red. He sighed, grumbling under his breath. "She was alright."

Tony and Wanda shared a look of amusement before turning their attention back to the girl. "I invited Nick to see our newest discovery. He should be here soon. But do you two know anything about her?"

Pietro stood from his chair, approaching the edge of the table. "She calls herself 'Cut-Throat.' She seems to be a master of swords. She did mentioned wanting to hold onto the bio-tech for something."

"Or someone." Tony bit the tip of his pencil, checking the screens. "Wanda, any readings for that… brain stuff you do?"

Wanda fumbled with her hands nervously. "I don't like to use my powers on people I don't know."

"Really? You had no trouble using them on me." Tony scoffed jokingly. The twins both snapped their necks at Tony, glaring him down with irritation in their eyes. Tony let out an awkward laugh. "Too soon?"

"Sir, the results for the girl's fingerprints are in." FRIDAY interrupted. "But my protocol has seemed to been affected by an override."

"By who? These codes should be able to penetrate any government firewall. "

"Not by the government, by SHIELD, sir. Her file is deemed classified." A large picture blew up on the screen, with a name blurred and the word CLASSIFIED plastered in large red letters.

Tony shook his head, unsatisfied. "Well, can we at least get a name?"

"I'm sorry, sir. There is no information on her in any known database that I can obtain, anywhere." Friday paused. "She is, apparently, nonexistent."

"That's not possible." Tony motioned at the screen, pulling up tons of data fields and codes, searching frantically for an answer.

"What does this mean, Mr. Stark?" Pietro questioned. "This girl, she does not exist?"

"No, it just means that SHIELD knows something about her and they don't want anyone else to see it. Especially me." Tony's fingers typed wildly on the keyboard below him. Masses of code passed by everyone eyes, capturing the two Sokovian's attention. "FRIDAY, get to work on those DNA samples."

"Yes, sir. I am currently searching all international databases." The screens displayed hundreds of files, pictures, and codenames from thousands of SHIELD agents across the world. Cho and the twins watched in amazement as Tony managed to make his way through one of the most secure online networks in the entire world.

"Mr. Stark, is it really worth hacking into SHIELD for her?" Cho asked suspiciously. "She's just a kid."

"If SHIELD went to all this trouble to protect her file form someone like me, then there must be something important on that file. There's something more to this 'kid' than meets the eye."

FRIDAY's systems sent off an alarm. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. She has not come up in any international databases. But I am receiving a match from her DNA. It seems to be someone in SHIELD, sir."

"In SHIELD? Like an agent?" Wanda asked.

"She's probably some rogue agent that went off the grid in a mission." Cho retorted.

"If she's rogue, why wouldn't she have a file?" Tony asked rhetorically. Cho stayed silent as FRIDAY continued to search. "Something's wrong here."

"Actually sir, she is not in our files as an agent, but as a relative of one."

"Who?" FRIDAY displayed a matching picture of the DNA on the left of the screen, containing a link to a file.

"Nick Fury, sir." FRIDAY paused. "She is his daughter."


	2. Chapter 2

"What's this about, Stark?" Steve folded his arms with a slight scoff, probably annoyed that Tony had called them so urgently. He had called the whole team to the Avengers tower the following morning, claiming he had something urgent.

"I have single handily made one of the greatest discoveries of our time." Tony spoke with the same grin you would see on a child who was dying to share a secret.

"Single-handed?" Pietro narrowed his eyes harshly at the billionaire.

"Okay, maybe an extra hand or two, but that's beside the point." The twins scoffed together, rolling their eyes at Tony. "It seems that our fearless leader, Nick Fury, has some secrets of his own."

"What are you talking about, Stark?" Natasha's face clenched, glaring down Tony as he paraded around the office with a drink in his hand.

"Calm down, Nat. It's nothing life-threatening." Tony rolled his eyes playfully. "FRIDAY, pull up Fury's file on the wide screen."

A few seconds later, a video of Pietro and the girl fighting came on the flat-screen. The Avengers watched intensively as the small girl and the speedster went head to head, punching and thrashing out at each other.

On the side, a small profile of the girl was displayed. The girl looked as if she were in her early 20′s. Her dark brown skin was bruised pretty well, and she had dark curly locks that fell to her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes stared straight ahead as if she were taking a mug shot. "This is Nick Fury's daughter."

Clint let out a long whistle, earning a nudge from Nat and a few chuckles from Thor.

"Fury has a daughter?" Banner replied softly, examining the video and picture thoroughly.

"Looks like she's whooping your ass there, Pietro." Clint mocked Pietro, happy to see him getting the short end of the stick or once.

"I wasn't expecting for her to be so violent. She looked like a kid." Pietro clarified while Clint just laughed, turning his attention back to Tony.

Tony nodded. "Actually, she's not much younger than you. Her name is Erika. Erika Fury. She's-"

"Not a topic of discussion, as of now." Fury's booming voice erupted through the room. All heads turned to the angry former SHIELD director.

"Stark, what are you doing with this?" Fury raged to the billionaire. Stark shrugged his shoulders.

"Research." Tony replied non-nonchalantly. Fury practically growled in his direction.

"It's only fair since you know all of our secrets; we should know some of yours." Tony argued with that same arrogant attitude he brought with him everywhere.

"All our secrets?" Thor questioned with a sincere frown.

"Yes, Thor. All." Tony grimaced at an enraged Fury. "Why so secretive, Fury? Are you embarrassed by us?"

"My daughter is no concern of yours." Fury growled through his teeth, turning the large screen off.

"She beat up three men twice her size, stole my truck filled with important equipment, somehow managed to land a few hits on the fastest guy here, and just so happens to be your daughter. I think I at least deserve some answers."

Fury opened his mouth, ready to unleash hell on Mr. Stark, but was interrupted.

"Cool it, dad. I think the Avengers are pretty trustworthy." A voice muttered from behind, walking out from Helen Cho's office. There she stood, Erika Fury. She was still pretty banged up. A few bandages on her face, and a large icepack placed on her head due to Wanda's handiwork.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to figure out who I was. I expected more from the great Tony Stark." She grinned at the group, rendering everyone speechless. You could tell just by the way she talked; she had that same sarcastic sense of humor like Fury.

She looked up to the screen, watching herself mid-fight with Pietro. "Sure did a number on you last night, now didn't I?" Erika teased, grinning at Pietro with a smug smile. Anger swelling throughout him, Pietro growled at her lunging towards her, but was stopped by Wanda, who muttered something in her native tongue to Pietro, calming him down slightly.

Tony focused the conversation back to him. "Why were you breaking into my truck last night?"

"I saw those thugs messing with a truck labeled Stark Industries. Any idiot could have seen they weren't your usual SHIELD agents."

"That doesn't explain you trying to make off with my truck."

She shrugged her shoulders, taking a seat, propping her feet up on the table in front of her. "Just wanted to have some fun. That was until speedy over here decided to interrupt me."

"You call stealing tech that's worth millions of dollars, fun?"

"Everyone has their own interests. Mine are more, thrilling, so to speak." She sneered, sharpening one of her blades on her double swords.

"What were you planning on doing with my tech?"

"Well, there is only so much you can do with 'chemically-enhanced nanites'." She grinned. "What are you using those for Stark? I would hope something useful this time."

The group looked stunned. "How did you know that?" Bruce stuttered. "This is an extremely rare and complex piece of tech."

Erika opened her mouth to a reply, but was stopped by Fury. "Alright Tony, you've had your interrogation. Erika, we're leaving."

She shrugged, shifting in her seat. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I have to go back to being a mystery."

"Wait a second," Clint paused. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" He asked, pointing to the video that continued to play on the large screen.

"I've been training since I could hold a knife." She pulled out one of her pocket knives and began to twirl it in-between her fingers. "You really think the world leader of intelligence is going to let his daughter be defenseless?"

"Skills like that could be useful." Natasha commented. "Not many SHIELD agents could even lay a finger on a single one of us."

"Are you trying to recruit me?" She questioned with a slight chuckle. "Have fun getting that past Eyepatch over there."

Tony snickered lightly to himself, earning a look of confusion from Banner. "What? She called him eyepatch. That's funny." Banner just rolled his eyes at him, focusing his attention back on the conversation.

"Agent Romanoff, I'd advise you to be careful about what you say next." Fury cautioned.

"No one is making any promises here, Fury. I'm just saying that someone with her skills would make a great agent."

"She's too young to join you all. She's in college, focusing on her life. It's not going to involve running around with superheroes."

"Actually, I turn 21 in a couple months." Erika chimed in. "And isn't this my decision?"

"No, it's mine. You're not joining the Avengers." Most of the Avengers team were used to Fury's combative and assertive attitude, but this was different. Like an angry father refusing his daughter to go out with her friends.

"Come on, Dad. I could have fun with the big boys and girls." She replied with a sarcastic grin.

Steve grumbled, pushing Erika's feet off the table. "What we do, isn't 'fun' young lady. It's protecting –"

Erika rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. "Yeah, yeah, I know, Captain America. You're the 'world's mightiest heroes.' Fighting to protect our world and what not."

"No one's forcing anyone to join the Avengers. Just training. She could work as a SHIELD agent, alongside us." Clint added in. "That's just how Natasha and I got our start."

"I've worked too long and hard to keep her out of sight. I'm not going to have that ruined by seeing her face plastered on the 10 o' clock news."

"Fury, she's in the best hands possible. Who better to protect her than us?" Tony

Steve interrupted the whole group. "It isn't our decision to make, neither is it yours, Fury. It's hers." All heads turned to Erika, who was casually sat down, continuing to sharpen her swords.

"Erika, I want you to have a normal life." Fury pleaded eagerly to his daughter, who seemed to pay him no mind.

"What part of my life now is normal?" She laughed, standing up from her seat. "My dad is the leader of an international intelligence agency, working with super hero's every day. I leave my house every night to fight bad guys on the street, and almost no one knew I existed till a few hours ago."

"But what about college-"

"It doesn't start until the fall. I was already looking for a summer job, and it seems that I'm on the Avengers radar anyway. If anything, I could teach these 'superheroes' a thing or two about fighting." She glanced back at the speedster with a smug smile. Pietro rolled his eyes as his sister giggled lightly next to him.

"Fine." Fury let out a sigh of defeat. "Then you'll be staying here, training with Natasha and being of service to Tony as an apology for stealing his truck."

"Wait, does this mean I'm in charge of her?" A small grin placed on Tony's face, which couldn't mean anything good.

"Yes, but it also means I'll be watching even closer now, Stark." Fury growled. Stark just let out a satisfied sigh.

"Twins, why don't you show Erika around the tower? There should be a spare room near yours that she can live in, Wanda." Wanda nodded, holding out her hand to Erika, greeting her warmly as they made their way down the hall. Pietro trailed slowly behind, clearly not wanting to be there. Fury discussed the new situation with Tony, then left minutes later in a rush for a mission.

Steve then hustled after Tony. "I don't understand, Tony. You barely opened your house for the twins. Now you're just letting Fury's daughter trail in without even an argument?"

"I have a play here, Cap. Something's up with that girl, Fury too. I just don't know what."

"So what, you're keeping her here to spy on here?"

"Think about it, Rogers." Tony pulled up Erika's profile once again, looking at her record. "The girl is barely 21, she knew information about my bio-tech that no one else other than Bruce and I should know, is an extremely talented swordsman, and just happens to be Fury's daughter. There's something that either one of them is hiding. If someone's going to be keeping an eye on her, it should be us."

Steve paused, mulling it over. "Keep it discrete, between us only."

"Actually," Tony added, glancing over at the Maximoff twins with a grin. "I think we may need some help."


	3. Chapter 3

Less than 24 hours ago, I was just about unknown to the world. At least Erika was. Most people knew me under some fake name, or as that girl who spent a few weeks here and there but never stood still. I was known as Kate, or Sara, or that girl in the apartment across the hall, but never Erika. Now here I was, standing in the Avengers tower, surrounded the world's mightiest heroes and ex-villains.

It was mostly silent with the light hum of the elevator gears as we rode up to the "Avengers" hall as it was called. I stood back in the corner, leaning casually on the railing, watching the two so called Maximoff twins.

They stood awfully close to each other, attached at the hip. Quicksilver, or Pietro as the rest of the Avengers seemed to call him, looked aggravated. His arms were folded against his chest, his aggravated glare burning holes through the elevator doors as he left foot tapped up and down impatiently. I noticed how his eyes looked tired, and how his platinum white was left in messy locks over his face.

Wanda was harder to read. She seemed curious, nervous maybe. Her dark brown lock covered most of her face, looking down at her shoes while she twirled her thumbs anxiously. She glanced at her brother occasionally, then to me, smiling softly. It seemed as if the two were conversing without even saying a word. It must be a twin thing.

"So," I muttered, breaking the uneasy silence. "What are your powers again?"

Wanda looked at her unapproachable brother, attempting to insinuate him into the conversation. Nothing but a low mumble came from his mouth in a language sounding nothing like English. She brushed him off, turning to face me again.

"My brother and I were tested on back in Sokovia." Her voice was soft and confident, but an inch of pain fell behind. "They gave us these, enhancements, so to speak. Pietro can run faster than bullets, most of the time. His increased metabolism and homeostasis helps him heal quicker than others. My powers are a bit more complicated." She was then interrupted by the soft beep of the elevator doors sliding open to the Avengers lobby.

The chrome lights were almost blinding when we entered the hall. There was a small lobby decorated with sitting chairs, couches, and a bar to the side. I stepped out the elevator admiring the high tech décor placed around us, compliments of Tony Stark I assumed.

"So, this is it, huh? The famous Avenger's tower."

"Well, the building is the Avengers tower, but many SHIELD agents work here as well. I believe that is where Mr. Fury has planned for you to go." Wanda informed.

"This is where you all live?" I asked.

"Not all of us. Pietro and I came to live here after Ultron. Cap stays here most nights, along with Vision and Banner when he stays too long in the lab." Wanda motioned to a tall red-skinned man who seemed to be levitating around the main area. "That's Vision."

He looked up from a book he seemed to be reading, floating over to us. I stood in shock while Pietro and Wanda were completely unfazed. "Hello Ms. Erika Fury. It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Avengers Initiative." He took my hand gently and began to shake it.

I stood with my mouth agape in awe, shaking what seemed to be a man's hand. "Is he, um, a person? Or…" I could barely speak to Wanda.

"He's an Android." She giggled at my uncomfortable manner. "We also met him during Ultron."

"It is very nice to meet you Ms. Fury."

"It's, uh, just Erika."

"Yes, excuse me. Erika. I would love to stay, but I must go complete a few tests for Professor Banner." He nodded to Wanda and I before flying off down a corridor. I stood frozen, still in shock for meeting an android for the first time.

"Trust me, you will get used to it." Wanda laughed, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the continued hall.

We continued the tour with Wanda and I walking side by side discussing the lifestyle around the tower, with Pietro who was still silent behind us.

I looked back at Pietro, who still hadn't said a word since he had dropped me off here the night before. "Is he more of the strong silent type, or is he just mad at me?"

"Oh, he's just pouting still. He should stop soon." Wanda shot a look at her stubborn brother, who just replied a sigh and an exaggerated eye roll. "Anyway, this is the Training Hall."

The room was larger than any gym I've ever seen. There were racks of weights and a variety of weapons that hung on the walls. A boxing ring sat to the left and a large sparring ring in the center. "You all train here?"

"Yes, almost every day. Pietro and I had our first training session here." She walked over to a nearby panel, pressing a few buttons then turning to the sparring ring. Seconds later, a simulation of robots appeared in a fighting stance. I jumped slightly in fright, reaching behind me for my swords in preparation for an attack.

"Do not be afraid," Wanda acknowledged. "They are controlled, see?" She pressed a few more buttons, making the robots move at her will. "They are only for practice. Tony invented them."

"That's so cool." I admired the machines a bit further before the descended back into their resting spot. Wanda and Pietro then led me down to a smaller corridor near the kitchen that had a few doors on either side.

"And this is your room." Wanda stepped in front of a chrome door as it slid open seamlessly. She turned to me, leading me inside. In front of me sat a small bed, a desk with a seemingly high tech computer, a decent sized closet, a few chairs and throw pillows, and a small bathroom to the side.

"Mr. Stark says you can decorate it to however you like. He even offered to help pay. But be sure to tell him exactly what you want. He tends to go a bit overboard."

"Well, that's what billionaire's do." I sighed. "Spend their money quick like a kid in a candy store."

She chuckled softly, nodding her head. "Our rooms are right next door if you need anything, also."

I flopped down carefully onto the bed, resting my head on the soft pillow. "I guess this is the end of the tour, Ms. Erika." Wanda added.

"It's just Erika. None of this 'Ms' nonsense." I groaned, still recognizing Wanda's need to be polite. "But thanks for the tour guys."

"You're welcome. Training starts early tomorrow morning. We have breakfast in the main kitchen if you'd like to join us." Wanda offered sweetly.

"That sounds great." I smiled, turning my attention back to Pietro, who was leaning against the doorframe. "I'll see you both there then?" He clenched his jaw tight, a definite sign of irritation, before walking out the door.

"Um, yes." Wanda slightly stuttered, watching as her brother walked away from the room. "See you tomorrow." She muttered, before following after her steamed brother.

I shrugged my shoulders, placing my swords aside and lying back down on my new bed, staring up at the chrome ceiling above. Exhaustion had finally hit. I touched the few bruises I had on my face and body, hissing in discomfort. I sat up, gazing at the bedside mirror, looking at the purple and black scars on my face and body. I contemplated taking a trip down to the Avengers clinic, but pushed the decision aside. Weariness was taking over, and my eyelids were fighting sleep. It was only around 4 in the afternoon and I decided to go to bed and rest up for whatever was coming my way tomorrow.

Night fell quickly, and it was quiet in the Tower, expect for one particular speedster. With such an active body, sleep sometimes became difficult for Pietro. Before joining the Avengers, he rarely slept in his cell back in Sokovia. He spent most nights lying awake, the different serums and injections taking toll on his brain. Somehow, the effects of the experiments disturbed his brainwaves so that sleeping was only possible with mass amounts of activity.

This led Pietro to become a regular night runner. He would groggily rise at 1 or 2 am, and make his way down to the indoor track for a nightly jog. Sometimes he'd only need a few laps before complete exhaustion and hightailing back into his bedroom. Other nights, he would run thousands of miles, wearing out the soles of his sneakers into dirt before even letting out a light yawn.

Pietro pulled on his track pants over his light gray boxers and a running shirt on his bare chest as he headed out his bedroom door. Right when he moved to close the door, a soft squeak of a door startled him. He looked up and around, wondering who else would be awake the same time as him.

The halls were dark, only illuminated by small floor lights, making it near impossible to see. The only figure he could see was a small shadowy figure reaching the near doorway. "Hey!" Pietro shouted out. The figure gasped lightly, and then sped out the door, bolting for the elevator.

He lunged forward to speed after the stranger, but stopped as another door opened. He turned to see his sister, slowly stepping out of her bedroom, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Pietro, what's going on? It's 2 in the morning."

"Someone is escaping the tower, come with me." Pietro grabbed a lifeless Wanda and began to drag her out the door.

Wanda slowly trudged behind him. "Who would be escaping the tower? No one is prisoner here, Pietro."

"I saw someone run out and go down through the elevators. Come Wanda." He groaned, trying to drag his sister's comatose body behind him. They made their way to the elevators. Pietro pressed the down button furiously, but they didn't seem to be moving.

"Shouldn't we get the Avengers, Pietro? Steve or someone?" Wanda commented. Pietro groaned, eyeing the stairwell.

"Just come, Wanda." He grabbed tightly onto the back of her neck and picked her up by her legs, using his speed to sprint down almost 40 flights of stairs.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Pietro dropped his sister carefully and leaned onto a nearby wall. His face was bright red, and he was huffing in and out of breath. "Do you see anyone?" He panted to his sister.

The roads were dark, lit by a few street lights and the lights of a car buzzing by every few seconds. Pietro was starting to feel drowsy from the run. His vision was blurry as he stumbled behind his sister who searched up and down the road.

"Pietro, there!" Wanda hissed, pointing out a small shadowy figure running in the distance a few blocks away. "Can you run?"

"We'll see." He huffed, pushing off the wall and grabbing Wanda, racing down the New York street. He searched frantically for the shadow, or any sign of someone's escape. He felt his arms begin to give out of his hold to Wanda. He forced himself to stop, dropping Wanda carefully onto the cold concrete, reaching onto the nearby wall catching his breath. He was hunched over, his face bright red in exhaustion.

"Pietro." Wanda hurried to his side, holding him as he struggled hunched over. "No more running, we'll continue on foot and we'll turn around if we can't find them."

He agreed, waiting a few seconds to regain some strength before heading down the cold street alongside Wanda.

The two weren't familiar with New York at all. The only times they left the tower were for missions and obtaining shipment from downtown alongside the rest of the Avengers. They wandered aimlessly hoping to find any sign of the shadow.

20 minutes later, Wanda came to a stop at a familiar alley. "Pietro, this is hopeless. We won't be able to find anyone at this time of night. Whoever you saw must have seen us and is long gone by now."

"She's right, you know." A voice chuckled from above the two. He gazed up above, noticing a dark figure sat on top the building beside them. There was Erika sat upon the ledge, a dark purple hood placed on her head, with her broadswords placed on her back. "You know, you should stop taking stealth lessons from Steve, and start taking them from an actual spy."

"Why are out here?" He shouted up to her.

"Oh, so he does speak." She smiled slyly.

"Ms. Fury, what is it that you are doing?" Wanda reiterated.

"It's Erika, and what do you think I'm doing?" She hopped down from on top the rooftop, sliding down the base of a dumpster, meeting face to face with the twins. "I'm making my rounds."

"Why?" They asked simultaneously.

"Just because I'm stuck in the tower with you super heroes, doesn't mean I can't go back to being who I am. Now get lost, I work to do."

"Perfect. Come on, Wanda. We're going home." He tried to turn and leave, but was stopped by Wanda.

"Pietro, wait." She grabbed his wrist, pulling him back forcefully.

"For what? She is fine, like she said."

"We can't just leave her here, Pietro." Wanda looked back at Erika who was waiting against the nearby brick wall.

"Are you two coming or what? I don't have all night." She huffed, clearly annoyed. "If you're worried about me, don't be. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."

"Wanda, let's go." Pietro's grip tightened on his sister's arm, motioning for her to follow.

"No Pietro. You saw her sneak out, so we'll go with her. She's our responsibility." She swiftly turned on her heel away from her brother and approached Erika.

"She's not our-Wanda!" Pietro grumbled angrily, shuffling down behind the two girls.

The three wandered down the barren streets of New York in near silence. Wanda and Erika began quiet small talk as Pietro just grumbled behind them.

"Ms. Fu-" Wanda started nervously, correcting herself quickly. "Erika, what's it like having a dad whose so, busy?"

She shrugged her shoulders, looking up and down the alleyways for suspicious activity. "Different, I guess. Father's day is kind of a bust when your dad is out fighting spies in Germany. But he's always been a good dad." Her sight drifted down to the cold pavement, a painful look on her face.

Wanda must have noticed her change in behavior as well. "Are you okay, Erika?"

"Yeah, of course." She replied, shaking her head as if she were coming back from a trance. "So what about you two? It must be strange moving from…" Her voice trailed off, waiting for a bit of assistance.

"Sokovia." Wanda corrected politely.

"Right, moving from Sokovia to here. Tell me about it."

The conversation between the two began to fade out in Pietro's mind. He was too focused on Erika. He couldn't tell what exactly, but he knew there was something he didn't like about her. It just wasn't sitting right with him. She was a thief, and not someone he'd want around his sister. Despite the fact the rest of the Avengers seemed to trust her, Pietro wanted to be cautious about it, about her.

Regardless of her status, Pietro had to admit, she was a brilliant fighter. While being surrounded by the world's best fighters and superhero's every day, and fighting alongside then, he thought she had a different style. She was quick and moved almost flawlessly with her swords. Every cut and thrash was precise and executed so perfectly, it was admirable. But whether or not he would be able to trust her was a different question.

"Why so moody, Speedy?" Erika asked, interrupting Pietro's thoughts. "You don't like spending time with me?" Her sarcastic grin just infuriated him once more.

"This is the second time I've chased you around at night. I wouldn't like to make it a habit."

She frowned, folding her arms against her chest. "Oh, that's sad. I thought we were having fun."

"Fun is the last word I would use." He scoffed.

"Wait, listen," Erika hissed quietly, raising a hand to stop the twins in their tracks. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Wanda asked in a low voice.

"It's a police scanner. Now, shut up and listen."

The radio stirred as the officer on the line began to speak. "Calling in nearby officers, we have a Code 10-8 on 1st Avenue. All nearby officers report to 1st Avenue. We have a robbery underway, criminals are armed and dangerous and hostage intake is unknown."

"That's not far from here!" Her cheerful voice sounded too eager for someone who just heard about a robbery. "Come on, let's go."

"Hold on." He paused, stopping Erika. "Look, we said we would walk with you, but this isn't our job."

"He's right, Erika." Wanda chimed in. "Isn't there someone we should call? Isn't this for the police?"

As Erika began to retaliate, the police scanner began to stir again. "Update to all nearby officers for incident on 1st Avenue. Hostage intake has been noted. There are two women, a man and a child inside, whether or not they have been injured is not known."

Erika looked back at the two twins. "Look, you guys can do whatever you want, but I'm going to help those people. You're welcome to join me."

The twins gave each other another wary look. "I knew we shouldn't have followed you out here." He mumbled angrily.

A smile came to her face. "I'm taking that as a yes, now let's go!" She rushed off towards the robbery with Pietro and Wanda close behind.

Police sirens sounded from down the street to the site of the robbery. Their cars were lined up behind a string of yellow tape that lined a perimeter around the area. A crowd of curious people and anxious reporters stood nearby poking their head through to see while the officers on site were drawing them back.

"So Erika," Pietro started arrogantly. "How do you plan to get past these officers? There are at least twenty of them. I don't think you can talk your way out of this."

"Easy." She moved her gaze from the scene ahead to Pietro. "With you, Speedy."

"Me?"

"Get back!" A loud shout came from inside the store, followed by three shots. The crowd ducked and let out a few screams starting a light panic.

"Yes, you. There's a broken window in the front next to the locked doors. You can carry us in one by one if we had a distraction."

"I can take care of the distraction." Wanda stepped from outside the alley and into the shadows. "Be ready to go when I say so."

She raised her arms to her shoulders, the rims of her brown eyes fading into a dark crimson red. Waves of red energy flew from her fingertips towards the crowd. They watched as the energy made contact with the crowd, turning their eyes red as well, being placed under her spell. "Go, now."

Pietro quickly grabbed Erika, swooping her swiftly into his arms, securing his arm behind her neck and holding tightly onto her legs. He sprinted past the crowd, dodging bystanders who seemed to still be under Wanda's spell. He looked down at Erika, who seemed panicked; her eyes glued shut and her grip almost choking. He chuckled to himself, finally reaching the store. Carefully hiding in an aisle, he sat Erika down.

"Little bit of a warning next time would be nice." Her eyes were dazed as she held a hand to her head. Pietro grinned to himself before rushing out to grab his sister.

She stood in the same spot, using her powers to control the crowd. "Wanda!" He shouted, grabbing her attention. She nodded to him, dismissing her powers from the group. They were still in a small trance, long enough for Pietro and Wanda to get in and out.

He pulled her into his arms, and raced into the building. He stopped with Wanda in his arms, placing her down on to the tile floor. "Where's Erika?" She asked. Pietro replied with a small shrug before stopping and hearing a loud grunt.

They both turned, watching as a grown man flew across the room, collapsing as he hit the concrete wall straight on. Erika stepped out into their view, brushing herself off before turning to the astonished twins. "Are you going to join me or what?" She asked as another robber attacked her viciously, grabbing her by the neck from behind.

Wanda and Pietro both ran to her aid. "I'm good!" She shouted, sending a low jab to the attackers gut. "There are three more robbers in the back. Go!"

The two hesitated, but nodded, running down the first aisle. Pietro encountered the first robber, who charged at him with a crowbar. Pietro laughed to himself at the attackers failed attempt, quickly ducking under the weapon, then sending a hard punch to his stomach. The robber grunted, stumbling backwards, clutching tightly to his ribcage. He swung again at Pietro, but was unsuccessful. Pietro sprinted around the attacker, almost blinding him. He snatched the crowbar from his hands, and hit him straight on in the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

He looked over to his sister who was dealing with her handful of robbers, and Erika as well. The two were fighting tremendously, focusing heavily on their fights. He watched the two defended off their attackers, when a second seemed to creep up behind Erika. He raised his right arm quickly, a sharp blade placed in his hand. She was oblivious to the fact and Pietro rushed forward. Zipping past Erika, he pushed her aside before being slashed by Erika's previous attacker. He groaned in pain, holding his right arm in pain. The cut was deep in his arm, meaning it would take much longer to heal.

Erika jumped back from the ground, thrashing violently at the two opposing men. She knocked both of them into the ground with one swift kick. The two laid unconscious as she ran to Pietro's side. "Are you oka-" She started, looking down at his wound.

"Pietro!" Wanda rushed to him, kneeling at his side, looking at his arm.

"I'm fine." He lied, gripping tightly onto his arm. "It's just a scratch."

Wanda's hand carefully grazed his arm. "You're hurt. It's too deep for you to fight anymore."

"We need to get out of here anyway." Erika added in.

"Police! Surrender now or we're coming in!" A loud bang erupted from the front door, a warning shot. They were planning on breaking in. Pietro and Wanda ducked behind a few of the collapsed aisles "Come out with your hands up!"

"That's our cue." Erika shouted from a few aisles back. "We have to go, quickly."

"Why can't we stay?"

"Cops don't really like vigilantes, trust me. They're not going to care whether or not you guys are Avengers." She leaned down, untying the last of the hostages and helping them out the front door. "I'll meet you at the back exit! Hurry!"

The twins listened, rushing to the back entrance, passing by the collapsed robbers. Pietro and Wanda turned, anxiously waiting to take off with Erika. He was focused on Erika, when in the corner of his eye he saw one of the robbers begin to stir. Out of their pocket, he pulled out a lighter and began to place it next to a spilt gasoline can.

"Look out!" He screamed, but was too late. The robber lit fire to the small tank of gasoline, setting off a small explosion. The three were thrown backwards by the blast. A loud ringing from the blast played through their ears. The sound of the sirens outside increased, the hostages began to panic and scream even more. The blast burned down the aisles, lighting everything in sight.

"Erika, no!" Wanda screamed in horror. Erika was trapped against the flames. The only way out was through the front which was covered by cops.

"Just go! I'm right behind you!" The fire was growing with every second, smoke mustering through the air, making it harder to see. "I'll be fine! You have to go!" She kept on shouting.

"We can't just leave you here!" Pietro shouted, coughing from inhaling the smoke.

"I'll be fine!" She choked, a breath of smoke filling into her lungs. She took out her smaller blades, untying the last hostage. They sprinted to the front doors, leaving Erika to fend for herself. "I'll meet you both back at the tower."

Another set of flames blazed behind her, almost surrounding her. Parts of the ceiling were collapsing, nearly falling on the entire group. Sparks flew through the air, falling onto Pietro's large wound. He hissed, placing his hand over it.

"Pietro, take Wanda and go while you still can!" The flames were too tall to even see Erika, and smoke was rising making it harder to breathe.

The whole store was crumbling before their eyes. Shelves were collapsing, debris flying throughout the air. A large beam fell down in front of the front door, taking away her last escape. "No!" Wanda cried out.

"I said go! Now!" Erika's voice cried out in anger. Not a hint of fear behind it surprisingly. The flames were getting closer, and soon would be covering Wanda and Pietro as well.

Pietro gave in. The flames were nearly covering Erika, and in seconds they wouldn't be able to breathe He grabbed Wanda tightly as he could and rushed through the back door, leaving Erika to find her way out of the fire. Pietro sped his way around the front corner, holding tightly onto his injured arm. Wanda jumped down from his arms, watching as the officers and firefighters rushed into the building.

"Where is she?" Wanda's voice quivered, frantically looking for any signs of Erika. The flames were getting larger as the firefighters tried to control it. "Pietro, where is she?!"

"She's going to be okay, Wanda." He tried to console her, even though he wasn't that sure if himself.

"We left her there, Pietro! Her death is on our hands!"

"She's not dead!" He shouted, silencing his sister.. "She had to have gotten out, somehow."

Wanda looked up to her brother with weary eyes. He struggled to keep his expression still. He believed the worst, just as Wanda had, but he wanted to keep her calm. Wanda looked down at Pietro's wound. "We must get you back to the tower and heal your arm."

He nodded, holding out his weak arms to her. "No, we'll walk." Wanda ordered. "You're too hurt."

He agreed. The pain was beginning to settle in, even during his own healing process. The two walked together in silence. Everything felt still and dim, only the sounds of distant police sirens and the chatter of reporters broadcasting the scene.

"Pietro?" Wanda spoke in less than a whisper. "Do you really think she'll be alright?"

He reached down with his good arm, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight. "I hope so."


End file.
